Tufted Titmouse

Though I've shown a Tufted Titmouse before in a communal setting, this post is of a solitary one. Tufted Titmice are considered relatively bold and curious birds:
  • They might pluck fur from a shedding dog.
  • They sometimes turn the table on birdwatchers, seemingly watching them instead.
Titmice are related to chickadees and will sometimes form small flocks with them called banditries [1]. In 2002 the population of Tufted Titmice plunged, but not due to death. This is the year that the Black-crested Titmouse became a separate species; before that they were considered a subspecies of Tufted Titmouse [2].

March 22, 2023 at the Raritan River Greenway
Photo 269154306, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] Despite the larcenous name, law enforcement rarely needs to investigate their activities.

[2] These 2 species are clearly related and frequently hybridize, but:
  1. They tend to hybridize only in a narrow strip where their ranges overlap.
  2. Scientists think there's enough genetic differences between the 2 populations to warrant them being separate species.

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